My house STINKS! I walk into my house after work and am immediately hit with a stench coming from WITHIN my house. Yes, I do have two boys and a teenaged daughter, but they are not the reason my house smells. My daughter has a dog, but she is not the reason for the smell. My wife is a REALLY good cook... and that is not the reason it stinks. It smells like a mixture of Ben Gay, flowers, candy, and "Old Guy" in here. Since I have injured my calf/Achilles, I have been anointing my legs with essential oils, slathering lotions on them, bathing them with hot water and epsom salts.
Actually, let me paint the picture by simply making a list of all of the things I have done for my calves since Friday evening.
1. Ice
2. Stretching
3. Foam rolling
4. Peppermint oil
5. Lavender oil
6. Deep Blue rub
7. Epsom salt baths
8. Prayer
9. Whining
10. Rest
11. Hoping
12. Complaining
13. Blogging
and... my cousin just sent me a suggestion that I of course MUST try next
14. Nayaran Balm
15. MORE REST -- so much rest that I am feeling all sluggish and frumpy. I actually planned on naming this blog post "Frumpy".
It started hurting on Friday afternoon. Today is Tuesday. If I had to run today, I would not be able to run the entire race. I would have to stop and walk somewhere. Likely before the end of mile one. Fortunately, the race is not until Sunday. But... it IS THIS Sunday. Maybe the Nayaran Balm will cure it.
I am trying all of these things and hoping that they will do anything to make it feel better. In my mind, I believe that it is just going to take time to heal and these adjunctive therapies will do very little, but I am trying them anyway. -- and as a result, my house stinks.
I cannot remember if I have typed this story already, but I am reminded of a story that happened to me a few years ago.
Valerie bought me some workouts at a place called Speed Source Athletics. I called it Bigger, Faster, Stronger. It was basically a warehouse with astro-turf and some equipment with some trainers there to torture you. They required a test-in and a test-out. You would set specific goals and tailor your work-outs to meet your goals. I was not aware of what the test-in/test-out procedures were about. I had not researched anything. It was simply a gift from my wife -- a welcomed gift. I liked it. It was a good gift. Anyway, I go to my test-in and they have me scheduled to test-in with a high-school senior. I think I was 40. This kid was 18 years old and had clearly been working out. He asked me why I was starting this program. Apparently, most of the athletes were high-school kids wanting to go on to collegiate athletics, college athletes that wanted to get ready for the pros, professional athletes that wanted to keep their job or move from second team to starter, etc... You get the idea. My answer was, "I just don't want to get fatter."
The first thing we did was body fat analysis. We stripped down to our compression shorts and stepped into a big white egg. There was a seat in there and nothing else. I am not exactly sure how it worked, but it closed and sucked out some air and beeped and opened. I felt like Mork from Ork. I was proud that my body fat was registered at 10% and the young kid was more like 18%. So far, so good. There was a balance test. We both failed.... badly. It was hard. There was a board over a cylinder and the board had electrodes on it, so it would register when the board touched the side. You were supposed to balance on the cylinder and not allow the board to touch the electrodes. I got on it and tried to balance and nearly broke the thing as I hit one side then the other, then the other, back and forth, hitting each side HARD. Fail, fail, fail. The trainer says, "we will work on your core." GREAT!
Then we moved on to standing high jump, seated high jump, and standing broad jump. I killed him in all three!! The trainer was even impressed. (presumably impressed that such an old, white man could jump). Then we moved on to the 40 yard dash. I explained to the trainer lady that I had not run a 40 yard dash in 20 years. She laughed. -- She laughed. Then we line up and she has these laser timers set up. "Just go when you are ready. The laser will calculate your start time and clock your finish." So, I take off. I felt like I got a really good start. Head down, body forward, legs churning underneath me. I begin to raise up and pick up speed visualizing the finish line when out of nowhere someone stabbed me with an ice pick in the hamstring. I pull up lame and limp over the finish line and she records my time 6:30. I said, "6:30??? ooooh, that's bad." She said it would have been better if you had run in a straight line. UGH!!! I pulled my hamstring lady!!!!!. She asked, "Did you pull it or just tweak it?" I said, based on the severe pain, the lump of muscle rolled up to my butt and the bruise that is forming as the blood is pooling behind my thigh, I'm thinking I pulled it.
She changed her demeanor a little bit after that, but then again I was not able to see her again for about six weeks. Which is the amount of time it took me to fully heal.
I am hoping that this calf/Achilles thing is just a "tweak". Keep ya posted. In the mean time, I am going to open the doors and windows and try to fumigate a little.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Friday, February 24, 2017
Calf/Achilles
I was joking with Valerie that I did not have that much to whine about lately, so I have not written in a while. The truth is, I have been out of town and on vacation. We went skiing with our family and our dear friends, the Shennings, our Framily. We have been together a few times before and we are still friends. Nine of us in one townhome for a week. We really had a good time, and we have had a good time every time. Already thinking about next year.
I tried to be good and continue my training while I was on vacation. I ran almost every day I was there. Then I went out and skied all day. And a few times walked the mountain instead of taking the tram. 7200ft elevation and we were staying well up the mountain. Every run started with a one mile downhill trek. Then some running around town and around the base of the mountain, then I had to figure a way to make it back up the mountain. Unfortunately it was too early for the chair lifts to be running. Most of the days I was not able to run up the hill/mountain with a normal pace, so I would run hard for 100-200 yards, then walk, then run, then walk... you get the idea. It was my attempt to train some cardio and get the miles in one way or another. I was pretty proud of myself. I assumed that the thin air training and the uphill training would be beneficial for me.
I did not run on the last morning, travel day because my calves were hollering at me a little. We got back late Tuesday night and I did not run Wednesday either although I played racquetball instead. Felt pretty good. I really intended to run Thursday (yesterday), but... I dunno... I just didn't feel like it. So, I had a few days off and decided to run this afternoon (Friday). I started running and felt pretty good. Calves were sore, but no big deal. Most of you will not believe this, but I actually stretched my calves before I started running. OMGoodness, what is next, yoga? essential oils? Vegan diet? -- I'm nervous.
I got about a mile into my run and my right calf started to hurt. It will go away. It will be fine. I'll survive. Just keep running. At 1.5 miles I decided to stop and stretch my calf some more. I know, crazy! Then I decided to continue with the full intention of ignoring the pain. -- I'll skip the drama -- I quit at 1.8 miles. Now I am having difficulty walking.
I guess I have found something to whine about. Hey, I've got an idea.. why not whine on my blog. Ding ding ding.... we have a whiner.
This is bothersome for me. I have a race in Little Rock NEXT WEEKEND. A mere 8 days to heal. Ughhhh.
Apparently, this type of injury is attributed to over use, trail running (which I was doing at the time), and uphill running... hmmmm. Arghhh!!!
OK... many of you are well wishers and experts in different areas... so, I will tell you what I have done so far.
FIRST, I stopped running and watched Noble's football game.
2. I came home and iced my calf for 20 min.
3. I had some ice cream (It made me feel better) with fudge (it was dark chocolate fudge and I hear dark chocolate is good for you, so it must be medicinal).
4. I whined about it on social media. (this did not make me feel better like the ice cream, but I felt like all my friends needed to know. LOL)
5. I began to whine... er.... blog about it.
6. I sniffed some essential oils. (I am just kidding... I joke about the oils because it seems to be the latest craze. Seems like everybody I know sells oils and/or real-estate). I do have some samples that people have given my wife and I think I am gonna splash on some peppermint and wait for healing. 7. I am ready to ice again. -- stand by, I'm gonna go get some ice now..................
OK... I am back. I just talked with my daughter and she offered me some deep blue lotion. I think I will slather that on there. Now that I think about it, I have several racquetball buddies who swear by Tiger Balm. I don't know what is in these things, but I am thinking about trying them all... at the same time. Now we are talking results. More is better, right?!?!?!
I have fond memories of being in my great grandmother's house. We called her Great. She was very sweet to us kids. I was the youngest. I remember she ALWAYS had a bowl of peppermints, the soft ones that would melt in your mouth. I would sneak SEVERAL of them even beyond what she offered me. Then I would get a glass of ice water. The feeling inside my mouth of the ice and the tingly feeling from all the peppermint was a great feeling. Makes me think of Great. That is how I feel right now with the peppermint oil that I just bathed in, I mean rubbed on my leg and the ice, it seems to intensify the cold... but it feels kinda good. Who knows, I may just be all better in the morning. LOL.
A few of my friends have told me that the best protocol is RICE. I wasn't sure if that was cooked or uncooked, brown, long-grain, or sticky. It is all so confusing. I have a pot of minute rice going right now. Maybe that will do the trick.
BTW... the whole rolling thing... O....M....Goodness!!!!! I abhor rolling. It hurts so bad. It makes me wanna cry. I am NOT doing that!! Why would anyone subject themselves to that? I have no idea. It is really just my legs though. When I get massage therapy, I often tell the therapist to DIG. I have stated several times, "You will have a hard time hurting me, so go after it, and DIG". A few took that to heart and really TRIED to hurt me. I LIKE when they use deep, firm pressure on my neck and back. It feels GOOD.... but on my thighs, particularly and to a slightly lesser extent, my calves, IT JUST PLAIN HURTS. Hurts like I wanna cry, hurts. Rolling is like that. IT JUST HURTS!!
Anyway, the part that is bumming me out is that I have a race in Arkansas next weekend and I am afraid that this is going to sideline me. I would rather not have to run walk or worse yet, drop out. That would be a major disappointment for me.
I tried to be good and continue my training while I was on vacation. I ran almost every day I was there. Then I went out and skied all day. And a few times walked the mountain instead of taking the tram. 7200ft elevation and we were staying well up the mountain. Every run started with a one mile downhill trek. Then some running around town and around the base of the mountain, then I had to figure a way to make it back up the mountain. Unfortunately it was too early for the chair lifts to be running. Most of the days I was not able to run up the hill/mountain with a normal pace, so I would run hard for 100-200 yards, then walk, then run, then walk... you get the idea. It was my attempt to train some cardio and get the miles in one way or another. I was pretty proud of myself. I assumed that the thin air training and the uphill training would be beneficial for me.
I did not run on the last morning, travel day because my calves were hollering at me a little. We got back late Tuesday night and I did not run Wednesday either although I played racquetball instead. Felt pretty good. I really intended to run Thursday (yesterday), but... I dunno... I just didn't feel like it. So, I had a few days off and decided to run this afternoon (Friday). I started running and felt pretty good. Calves were sore, but no big deal. Most of you will not believe this, but I actually stretched my calves before I started running. OMGoodness, what is next, yoga? essential oils? Vegan diet? -- I'm nervous.
I got about a mile into my run and my right calf started to hurt. It will go away. It will be fine. I'll survive. Just keep running. At 1.5 miles I decided to stop and stretch my calf some more. I know, crazy! Then I decided to continue with the full intention of ignoring the pain. -- I'll skip the drama -- I quit at 1.8 miles. Now I am having difficulty walking.
I guess I have found something to whine about. Hey, I've got an idea.. why not whine on my blog. Ding ding ding.... we have a whiner.
This is bothersome for me. I have a race in Little Rock NEXT WEEKEND. A mere 8 days to heal. Ughhhh.
Apparently, this type of injury is attributed to over use, trail running (which I was doing at the time), and uphill running... hmmmm. Arghhh!!!
OK... many of you are well wishers and experts in different areas... so, I will tell you what I have done so far.
FIRST, I stopped running and watched Noble's football game.
2. I came home and iced my calf for 20 min.
3. I had some ice cream (It made me feel better) with fudge (it was dark chocolate fudge and I hear dark chocolate is good for you, so it must be medicinal).
4. I whined about it on social media. (this did not make me feel better like the ice cream, but I felt like all my friends needed to know. LOL)
5. I began to whine... er.... blog about it.
6. I sniffed some essential oils. (I am just kidding... I joke about the oils because it seems to be the latest craze. Seems like everybody I know sells oils and/or real-estate). I do have some samples that people have given my wife and I think I am gonna splash on some peppermint and wait for healing. 7. I am ready to ice again. -- stand by, I'm gonna go get some ice now..................
OK... I am back. I just talked with my daughter and she offered me some deep blue lotion. I think I will slather that on there. Now that I think about it, I have several racquetball buddies who swear by Tiger Balm. I don't know what is in these things, but I am thinking about trying them all... at the same time. Now we are talking results. More is better, right?!?!?!
I have fond memories of being in my great grandmother's house. We called her Great. She was very sweet to us kids. I was the youngest. I remember she ALWAYS had a bowl of peppermints, the soft ones that would melt in your mouth. I would sneak SEVERAL of them even beyond what she offered me. Then I would get a glass of ice water. The feeling inside my mouth of the ice and the tingly feeling from all the peppermint was a great feeling. Makes me think of Great. That is how I feel right now with the peppermint oil that I just bathed in, I mean rubbed on my leg and the ice, it seems to intensify the cold... but it feels kinda good. Who knows, I may just be all better in the morning. LOL.
A few of my friends have told me that the best protocol is RICE. I wasn't sure if that was cooked or uncooked, brown, long-grain, or sticky. It is all so confusing. I have a pot of minute rice going right now. Maybe that will do the trick.
BTW... the whole rolling thing... O....M....Goodness!!!!! I abhor rolling. It hurts so bad. It makes me wanna cry. I am NOT doing that!! Why would anyone subject themselves to that? I have no idea. It is really just my legs though. When I get massage therapy, I often tell the therapist to DIG. I have stated several times, "You will have a hard time hurting me, so go after it, and DIG". A few took that to heart and really TRIED to hurt me. I LIKE when they use deep, firm pressure on my neck and back. It feels GOOD.... but on my thighs, particularly and to a slightly lesser extent, my calves, IT JUST PLAIN HURTS. Hurts like I wanna cry, hurts. Rolling is like that. IT JUST HURTS!!
Anyway, the part that is bumming me out is that I have a race in Arkansas next weekend and I am afraid that this is going to sideline me. I would rather not have to run walk or worse yet, drop out. That would be a major disappointment for me.
My faith tells me that I should pray and call upon the church to pray with/for me, and use the best that modern medicine has to offer me. The irony and humor is that the text reads, "13Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick," This should be funny to all of my essential oil friends... but, as I understand it, the meaning of the text is to utilize the best of modern medicine. Follow the doctor's advice and take the appropriate medicine... which, to be fair, may include essential oils. I'm keeping an open mind. But first and foremost, I am going to pray, and I will ask you all to pray for me as well. Thanks in advance.
I'll keep you updated.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Race Recap -- New Orleans, LA
Rock n Roll Half Marathon New Orleans
Registration:
Fee:
$107.48 total -- same as the Tempe Race
$95.99 registration
$11.49 transaction processing fee
The Expo:
This expo was at the New Orleans Convention Center. This expo was set up exactly like the Arizona expo last month. The same vendors, the same set-up, the same race bags, the same bibs and tracking system. I suppose the Rock 'N' Roll series is attempting to make the experience uniformed for each race. I will admit that these Rock 'N' Roll series races have been more organized than some of the other ones, so I guess they are accomplishing what they have intended to accomplish.
Shirt:
The shirt was a wicking, tech shirt. I have gotten smarter and ordered an L this time. The writing reads Laissez les bon temps rouler, which means let the good times roll.
Race Day:
Sunday
Race Start Time:
7:30 am. We started on time. The wheelchair athletes started a couple minutes early, but the elites and corral 1 started right at 7:30. In Arizona, Corral 2 was held for 1 minute and 15 sec. In this race Corral 2 was only held for like 20 secs. Just enough time for us to get up to the start line. Not sure why there was a difference, but this configuration kept us more more "bunched up". I was dodging people literally the entire race. In the other races, it seemed much more spread out... especially after the first few miles.
Course Map:
This course was marked well. I did not notice as many police, or volunteers, or even spectators for this race... until the end. The "crowd" was sparse and those that WERE there were offering some minor "golf claps". -- oh, and I noticed several cow bells. Not sure what that was about, other than a noise maker.
Race Type:
This was all road race, and very flat at that. Of course when I say flat, what I mean is in terms of elevation. I think there was some 12 feet of elevation to the entire race. My Garmin showed a maximum elevation change of 35ft. I guess that is pretty good for a town that is below sea level. What was NOT flat about the course were the roads themselves. I felt like I was leaning the whole time. Actually, check out the other guy in this picture:
He ran on the left side of the road the ENTIRE time, and he leaned left the ENTIRE way. I am not exaggerating. I know because we passed each other multiple times AND HE FINISHED IN FRONT OF ME... of course I think he might have fallen over (to his left) when he quit running, but I am not positive. Anyway, that is how I felt that I was running because all of the roads were in such bad shape. Potholes, uneven roads, orange caution cones everywhere.
Accommodations:
Transportation:
Riskshaw was the most common form of transportation that I noticed. Since I got the AirBNB, I walked. Most everybody was walking as it looked like they stayed in one of the hotels in the French Quarter, but there were several who were utilizing the rickshaw mode of transport. I suppose I am too cheap for that. :) Walking to the start was no big deal. I treated it like a warm-up. I tried as hard as I could to show up right on time, but alas, I was 30 minutes early still. I cannot seem to figure out how to show up right on time. The walk back was a bit tougher. My biggest blister did not pop until I got to the airport, but immediately felt better. If I had known that, I would have popped it before I hobbled home. Oh well... live... learn.
Weather:
Race Morning:
Race:
Water/Food Stations:
Plenty of water and Gatorade every 1.5 miles or so, but no other food or other drinks. The only other thing I saw was Gukos Energy packs after mile 8. I drank one, but it did not seem to help this time. I got a blister on my left foot, on the bottom and outside at about mile 9. Then a blister on my right foot between my big toe and the next one at about mile 11. My times slowed significantly after that. Not sure if the blisters were the cause of my slow down, but I recall feeling every step and wanting to stop and walk and remove my shoe or something but I forced myself not to stop. I only stopped at one water station to take a drink without splashing it all over myself, then immediately started back again.
Scenery:
Ya know, I m not sure what I was expecting. I thought it would be cool to run through the French Quarter. I guess maybe I had visions of Mardi Gras parades and Canal St and Bourbon Street. I guess I envision hordes of people dressed in some crazy Mardi Gras outfit or at least some of the famous NOLA "flavour". As it was, I just felt like I was running, on an incline, straight through some old neighborhoods and then through the business area, then into the park.
Race Entertainment:
There were several bands, and one was a brass band all wearing kilts. Not sure what that was about either. But there did not seem to be much in the way of entertainment along the course. I can think of 5 bands playing on the side of the street. And one of the "bands" was just one guy playing the guitar. A one man band, I guess. I remember thinking there was simply not a lot of turn-out for this race -- comparatively speaking.
Finish:
The finish was in the park past the New Orleans Museum of art. I had lost all track of time or distance at the point that we reached the Museum. I could not see around the museum, so I thought the finish was just behind. I assumed that I would see the finish as I rounded the semicircle past the museum, but it was like another half mile or more away. I, of course sped up -- no one would mistake my increase of speed at the finish for a "kick", but I did pic it up a little -- UNTIL I rounded the semicircle and realized that I could STILL not see the finish as it was STILL too far away. That was a bit disappointing. But I did finish, and survived the whole thing... blisters and all.
Bling:
Misc:
I was alone for this race. I did not speak to anyone... well, I did speak to one person. At the finish, I limped over to the ambulance and asked the EMT if a band-aide for a blister was too small of a medical emergency for them to manage. There were two of them sitting there. One told me no, and the other said, "I think we can handle that" and gave me a band-aide. Otherwise, I spoke to no one before, during, or after the race. I did speak to several spectators on the walk home. Everyone was very nice. Some went out of their way to say hello or how ya doin. My point, other than the local folk seemed very nice, is this was a no "frills" race for me. But, to be fair, that was how I set it up. I did not participate in any of the activities or parties or anything but the race. I had dinner at a pasta restaurant the night before, alone. It was actually quite good. I witness a real live fist fight as I walked to the restaurant. I was walking up, about 6 or 8 feet from three guys when one of them punched the other in the mouth and his friend also jumped the guy who got punched, so now it was two against one. I quickly crossed the street. They were gone by the time I walked back.
Post Race:
Registration:
Registered online again. This race did not require proof of finish time, but asked for an estimated finish time. I gave 1:45 as my estimated finish which put me in corral 2.
Fee:
$107.48 total -- same as the Tempe Race
$95.99 registration
$11.49 transaction processing fee
The Expo:
This expo was at the New Orleans Convention Center. This expo was set up exactly like the Arizona expo last month. The same vendors, the same set-up, the same race bags, the same bibs and tracking system. I suppose the Rock 'N' Roll series is attempting to make the experience uniformed for each race. I will admit that these Rock 'N' Roll series races have been more organized than some of the other ones, so I guess they are accomplishing what they have intended to accomplish.
Shirt:
The shirt was a wicking, tech shirt. I have gotten smarter and ordered an L this time. The writing reads Laissez les bon temps rouler, which means let the good times roll.
Race Day:
Sunday
Race Start Time:
7:30 am. We started on time. The wheelchair athletes started a couple minutes early, but the elites and corral 1 started right at 7:30. In Arizona, Corral 2 was held for 1 minute and 15 sec. In this race Corral 2 was only held for like 20 secs. Just enough time for us to get up to the start line. Not sure why there was a difference, but this configuration kept us more more "bunched up". I was dodging people literally the entire race. In the other races, it seemed much more spread out... especially after the first few miles.
Course Map:
This course was marked well. I did not notice as many police, or volunteers, or even spectators for this race... until the end. The "crowd" was sparse and those that WERE there were offering some minor "golf claps". -- oh, and I noticed several cow bells. Not sure what that was about, other than a noise maker.Race Type:
This was all road race, and very flat at that. Of course when I say flat, what I mean is in terms of elevation. I think there was some 12 feet of elevation to the entire race. My Garmin showed a maximum elevation change of 35ft. I guess that is pretty good for a town that is below sea level. What was NOT flat about the course were the roads themselves. I felt like I was leaning the whole time. Actually, check out the other guy in this picture:
He ran on the left side of the road the ENTIRE time, and he leaned left the ENTIRE way. I am not exaggerating. I know because we passed each other multiple times AND HE FINISHED IN FRONT OF ME... of course I think he might have fallen over (to his left) when he quit running, but I am not positive. Anyway, that is how I felt that I was running because all of the roads were in such bad shape. Potholes, uneven roads, orange caution cones everywhere.
Accommodations:
It was a bit difficult agin to find a place to stay near the start and near the finish, and the prices were quite high because of the time of year, being around Mardi Gras and all. I ended up 2 miles from the start and 2.6 miles from the finish. I definitely limped back to the duplex because of my blisters. It took me 45 minutes to hobble back to my place. Funny thing though, I got stopped 7 times by people heading to the finish trying to find how to get there. None of them could believe that I had already finished. I am not sure how long they thought it should take, but it made me feel good that they were impressed. I had a police officer offer me a sincere congratulations and a blessing. I was hoping he would offer me a ride, but I was happy with the blessing.
Transportation:
Riskshaw was the most common form of transportation that I noticed. Since I got the AirBNB, I walked. Most everybody was walking as it looked like they stayed in one of the hotels in the French Quarter, but there were several who were utilizing the rickshaw mode of transport. I suppose I am too cheap for that. :) Walking to the start was no big deal. I treated it like a warm-up. I tried as hard as I could to show up right on time, but alas, I was 30 minutes early still. I cannot seem to figure out how to show up right on time. The walk back was a bit tougher. My biggest blister did not pop until I got to the airport, but immediately felt better. If I had known that, I would have popped it before I hobbled home. Oh well... live... learn.
Weather:
The weather was great. The sun was shining and it was 53 F at the start and warmed up to about 60 F. I was comfortable and happy to not be freezing.
There were 20 corrals for this race also. I was in corral 2 and my pacer was also in corral 2. There were 9,208 finishers in this half marathon and there was a the full marathon that also started with us, so there were LOTS of people. The start was a wave start, but a quick one. Corral 1 went off and we waited about 20 secs before we went off. There were people everywhere. -- racers that is. I think I went three or four miles longer than the actual race, but only sideways, as I was dodging people the WHOLE time. It was kind of like my golf game. I have a tendency to hit the ball very hard and it goes a long way.. just not straight. 300 yards to the right, and 250 yards to the left. When I finally get into the fairway, I have already hit 700 yards and the hole was only 426 yards to begin with... and I still have another 100 yards to the hole.
Race:
The course was all pavement. All roads. No traffic. The only bit of confusion was when the half and the full marathon course split off. It was early in the race and it was clearly marked, but I noticed a couple folks complained that they were confused. The course was almost totally flat, no bridges or overpasses. The two things that I did not like about the course: 1. The roads were uneven and I was leaning the entire race. 2. There was mostly two long straights. There was a turn around at mile 4 and then a left turn at mile 8 or so, then straight, straight, straight. It reminded me of Interstate 10. It is LONG and flat and boring and LONG and did I mention long? It seems longer to me when you are just running straight... and the people dodging wasn't enough to give me that variety that I was looking for.
Plenty of water and Gatorade every 1.5 miles or so, but no other food or other drinks. The only other thing I saw was Gukos Energy packs after mile 8. I drank one, but it did not seem to help this time. I got a blister on my left foot, on the bottom and outside at about mile 9. Then a blister on my right foot between my big toe and the next one at about mile 11. My times slowed significantly after that. Not sure if the blisters were the cause of my slow down, but I recall feeling every step and wanting to stop and walk and remove my shoe or something but I forced myself not to stop. I only stopped at one water station to take a drink without splashing it all over myself, then immediately started back again.
Scenery:
Ya know, I m not sure what I was expecting. I thought it would be cool to run through the French Quarter. I guess maybe I had visions of Mardi Gras parades and Canal St and Bourbon Street. I guess I envision hordes of people dressed in some crazy Mardi Gras outfit or at least some of the famous NOLA "flavour". As it was, I just felt like I was running, on an incline, straight through some old neighborhoods and then through the business area, then into the park.
Race Entertainment:
There were several bands, and one was a brass band all wearing kilts. Not sure what that was about either. But there did not seem to be much in the way of entertainment along the course. I can think of 5 bands playing on the side of the street. And one of the "bands" was just one guy playing the guitar. A one man band, I guess. I remember thinking there was simply not a lot of turn-out for this race -- comparatively speaking.
Finish:
The finish was in the park past the New Orleans Museum of art. I had lost all track of time or distance at the point that we reached the Museum. I could not see around the museum, so I thought the finish was just behind. I assumed that I would see the finish as I rounded the semicircle past the museum, but it was like another half mile or more away. I, of course sped up -- no one would mistake my increase of speed at the finish for a "kick", but I did pic it up a little -- UNTIL I rounded the semicircle and realized that I could STILL not see the finish as it was STILL too far away. That was a bit disappointing. But I did finish, and survived the whole thing... blisters and all.
Bling:
Misc:
I was alone for this race. I did not speak to anyone... well, I did speak to one person. At the finish, I limped over to the ambulance and asked the EMT if a band-aide for a blister was too small of a medical emergency for them to manage. There were two of them sitting there. One told me no, and the other said, "I think we can handle that" and gave me a band-aide. Otherwise, I spoke to no one before, during, or after the race. I did speak to several spectators on the walk home. Everyone was very nice. Some went out of their way to say hello or how ya doin. My point, other than the local folk seemed very nice, is this was a no "frills" race for me. But, to be fair, that was how I set it up. I did not participate in any of the activities or parties or anything but the race. I had dinner at a pasta restaurant the night before, alone. It was actually quite good. I witness a real live fist fight as I walked to the restaurant. I was walking up, about 6 or 8 feet from three guys when one of them punched the other in the mouth and his friend also jumped the guy who got punched, so now it was two against one. I quickly crossed the street. They were gone by the time I walked back.
Post race consisted to my visit to the EMT ambulance, a five minute sit down leaning against a tree and a 45 minute walk back to the room. I had a nice hot shower, laid down for 15 min. then caught an Uber to the airport.
I finished 624th out of 9208 with a time of 1:46:51, two blisters, and sore calves. Only 45 more to go. LOL!! Next month, Little Rock, Arkansas. Valerie will be with me for this one.
I finished 624th out of 9208 with a time of 1:46:51, two blisters, and sore calves. Only 45 more to go. LOL!! Next month, Little Rock, Arkansas. Valerie will be with me for this one.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Kudos to Bose
If you have read some of the previous blogs, you will know that in an attempt to drown out my heavy panting and wheezing, I feel the need to wear some sort of headphones and crank up the music loud. I tried multiple earbuds, some with wires and some without. Noise cancellation and not. I broke several sets of them... apparently if you sweat profusely while you are panting, you can drown your earbuds and they don't seem to like that. So, I finally decided to go with a set of earbuds that are designed to get wet -- made for sports. I chose Bose, because I was very happy with my noise cancellation set until I killed them. Of course I was using them "off label", so it is hard to blame them. I found the Bose SoundSport and purchased them at Best Buy.
As you can see above, they were $150, but I thought it important enough to buy them anyway. They operated well right out of the box. Paired nicely and easily to my phone. Kept a charge for about 4 hours of continuous use or 3- 4 runs depending on the length of the run. he sound quality was great, as you might expect from Bose. I could take phone calls with them also. They fit well in my ears and stayed in there nicely and comfortably. They charged quickly... about an hour. Worked great -- until they did not work at all. I had them for three months and they simply quit working. They did not turn on. They did not hold or accept a charge. DEAD. Awesome!!
I figured I could just take them back to Best Buy. After all, I had a digital receipt on my phone. Easy, right? Well, I missed the return by date -- BY ONE DAY! So, I thought I was out $150 and that was the end of that, but -- THE REASON FOR THIS BLOG POST -- in case some of you did not want to read any of the rest (of the fluff :)) -- is that Bose showed great customer service.
I called Bose and gave the serial number off of the ear piece. She said, "I am so very sorry that you are having difficulty! Please accept our apology and allow us to replace your headphones. All we ask you to do is take your existing headphones and mail them back to us using the UPS return label that I am sending to your email address right now."
I printed the email, placed the headphones in a box and sent them to Bose. Two days later, I got an email that stated that my product had been shipped and was on the way. One day later, I received a brand new set of Bose SoundSport wireless headphones. EASY!! SIMPLE!! DONE!!
They had not yet even received my return yet. But sent me the replacement any way. No questions asked. No problems. I was very impressed. I thought good customer service was dead. Not at Bose, apparently.
I ran yesterday with my new headphones. They worked great.
I can forgive the fact that the set that I purchased originally broke. Things happen. Nothing is perfect. No business gets it right 100% of the time. There will always be minor issues and sometimes major issues. It is an inevitability. The difference maker is the company that makes it right. Don't make excuses or find a loop hole, just make it right. Don't make it hard, just make it right. In my estimation, this is the difference maker in a company that will survive or not. But, it is simply my opinion. Carry on.
As you can see above, they were $150, but I thought it important enough to buy them anyway. They operated well right out of the box. Paired nicely and easily to my phone. Kept a charge for about 4 hours of continuous use or 3- 4 runs depending on the length of the run. he sound quality was great, as you might expect from Bose. I could take phone calls with them also. They fit well in my ears and stayed in there nicely and comfortably. They charged quickly... about an hour. Worked great -- until they did not work at all. I had them for three months and they simply quit working. They did not turn on. They did not hold or accept a charge. DEAD. Awesome!!
I figured I could just take them back to Best Buy. After all, I had a digital receipt on my phone. Easy, right? Well, I missed the return by date -- BY ONE DAY! So, I thought I was out $150 and that was the end of that, but -- THE REASON FOR THIS BLOG POST -- in case some of you did not want to read any of the rest (of the fluff :)) -- is that Bose showed great customer service.
I called Bose and gave the serial number off of the ear piece. She said, "I am so very sorry that you are having difficulty! Please accept our apology and allow us to replace your headphones. All we ask you to do is take your existing headphones and mail them back to us using the UPS return label that I am sending to your email address right now."
I printed the email, placed the headphones in a box and sent them to Bose. Two days later, I got an email that stated that my product had been shipped and was on the way. One day later, I received a brand new set of Bose SoundSport wireless headphones. EASY!! SIMPLE!! DONE!!
They had not yet even received my return yet. But sent me the replacement any way. No questions asked. No problems. I was very impressed. I thought good customer service was dead. Not at Bose, apparently.
I ran yesterday with my new headphones. They worked great.
I can forgive the fact that the set that I purchased originally broke. Things happen. Nothing is perfect. No business gets it right 100% of the time. There will always be minor issues and sometimes major issues. It is an inevitability. The difference maker is the company that makes it right. Don't make excuses or find a loop hole, just make it right. Don't make it hard, just make it right. In my estimation, this is the difference maker in a company that will survive or not. But, it is simply my opinion. Carry on.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Finally Feeling Better
Today was the first day that I have felt pretty good. Since I returned from Arizona Jan 15th, I have been struggling with... well.... basically a whole lot of snot! Chest congestion and coughing and hacking and sneezing. I have no idea where all of this snot comes from. It seems to be perpetual. This is particularly troublesome when one is running. I have had major trouble in the last two weeks getting oxygen when I run. It is like my lungs are filled with the crud and there is no room for the oxygen. It gets worse when your nose is running and you cannot get air in or out through your nose. Then, the goo get up into your throat and makes you cough, or hack up some goo or at least need to expectorate. All that would be bad enough in and of itself, but when one is running, all of those things force one to stop breathing to accomplish them. If you are running and stop breathing even for a second, your breathing becomes more and more labored. The whole darned thing just gets more and more difficult.
Today I felt better. I ran three miles at a decent pace... about 8:00 min. miles. During these last two weeks I have forced myself to run, but my times have not been great. Instead of 8:00/m I have been running more like 8:30-8:40/m. Twice in the last two weeks I had to stop and walk during my runs. I am a little concerned about how I will perform in New Orleans this coming weekend. With my training runs being a bit shorter than usual and slower than normal, I am worried that I will not be ill-prepared for the race. I have decided that I will maintain a goal of 1:45:00. I ran better than that in Arizona, but I think given my poor training, I will be pleased with 1:45:00.
I think Valerie is under the impression that I am going to run faster and better this weekend because she started us on the Run Fast Eat Slow menu today. I've got to say she has put in a significant amount of effort getting this prepared. Days of planning, days of shopping, and days of cooking. She even got up early this morning to make me breakfast before I went to work. Todays menu consisted of scrambled eggs with spinach and home made bread toast for breakfast, oh and a beet smoothie, a quinoa salad, an apple, and sesame butter for lunch. A snack of a home made muffin with all sorts of vegetables and spices that are supposed to reduce inflammation and heal muscles etc... and a special ingredient chai tea (antioxidants, spices, etc...). Dinner consisted of more quinoa and kale and a steak and toast with cashew pesto. All of it was really pretty good, however it was more food than I normally eat. I do not generally eat four times a day. I went for a run today so that I could run off some of the food I ate today. I was full from breakfast at lunch. I was full from lunch when it was time for my snack. I had to eat my snack before I made it home for dinner. Then I was still full when it was time for dinner. All of these meals are good/natural foods. There is nothing processed. In the chai tea was hazel nut milk that Valerie made -- from hazel nuts, of course. I enjoyed all of the food -- ALL of it! I wonder if all of the good ingredients will help me perform better or if I will simply get fat from eating so much. I hope that it is the former and not the latter. I shutter to think what my Mii character will look like if I gain more weight. The way he looks when he blows up makes me think that one day he may explode. I hope that is not foreshadowing in any way.
At least I felt better today. Most of the snot is gone and I was able to get some air. So maybe I am over this persistent and seemingly interminable gunk. Couple that with the new Run Fast Eat Slow menu and I might just have a chance this weekend. Off to New Orleans on Saturday, healthy or not.
Today I felt better. I ran three miles at a decent pace... about 8:00 min. miles. During these last two weeks I have forced myself to run, but my times have not been great. Instead of 8:00/m I have been running more like 8:30-8:40/m. Twice in the last two weeks I had to stop and walk during my runs. I am a little concerned about how I will perform in New Orleans this coming weekend. With my training runs being a bit shorter than usual and slower than normal, I am worried that I will not be ill-prepared for the race. I have decided that I will maintain a goal of 1:45:00. I ran better than that in Arizona, but I think given my poor training, I will be pleased with 1:45:00.
I think Valerie is under the impression that I am going to run faster and better this weekend because she started us on the Run Fast Eat Slow menu today. I've got to say she has put in a significant amount of effort getting this prepared. Days of planning, days of shopping, and days of cooking. She even got up early this morning to make me breakfast before I went to work. Todays menu consisted of scrambled eggs with spinach and home made bread toast for breakfast, oh and a beet smoothie, a quinoa salad, an apple, and sesame butter for lunch. A snack of a home made muffin with all sorts of vegetables and spices that are supposed to reduce inflammation and heal muscles etc... and a special ingredient chai tea (antioxidants, spices, etc...). Dinner consisted of more quinoa and kale and a steak and toast with cashew pesto. All of it was really pretty good, however it was more food than I normally eat. I do not generally eat four times a day. I went for a run today so that I could run off some of the food I ate today. I was full from breakfast at lunch. I was full from lunch when it was time for my snack. I had to eat my snack before I made it home for dinner. Then I was still full when it was time for dinner. All of these meals are good/natural foods. There is nothing processed. In the chai tea was hazel nut milk that Valerie made -- from hazel nuts, of course. I enjoyed all of the food -- ALL of it! I wonder if all of the good ingredients will help me perform better or if I will simply get fat from eating so much. I hope that it is the former and not the latter. I shutter to think what my Mii character will look like if I gain more weight. The way he looks when he blows up makes me think that one day he may explode. I hope that is not foreshadowing in any way.At least I felt better today. Most of the snot is gone and I was able to get some air. So maybe I am over this persistent and seemingly interminable gunk. Couple that with the new Run Fast Eat Slow menu and I might just have a chance this weekend. Off to New Orleans on Saturday, healthy or not.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Trends
There are multiple moments in my life, that I can clearly identify, that my expectations and life's realities are dissimilar if not diametric. One of those circumstances, as it relates to this blog is progress. Before I launch into my usual self-absorbed dialogue, allow me a short preface: I completely understand that my proverbial glasses are rose-colored and my vision of the fantasy world which I inhabit (much like a hermit) is just that, a fantasy where no person could live, except in their own minds. I also freely admit that although completely impossible, I actually do live there and quite happily at that. It is only when the "reality" of the rest of the world invades my fantasy land, do I find it difficult to cope with the inconsistencies. This post will address one of these inconsistencies in my vision of my fantasy world and "reality".
Progress. This graph clearly demonstrates my vision of progress. This is how it SHOULD be. This is what I would expect to see given a level of effort and time. As the level of effort increases, and the time that effort is emplaced, the output, the progression, the level of success increases AT LEAST linearly.
Of course, I also recognize there are times when you're not able to participate at 100%, so I can see that there may well be plateaus in the progression. It makes sense to me that after you see a marked gain, you would potentially and likely see a plateau. This plateau may be an area where rest is needed or time to rebuild. I see no reason for a decline.
Ideally, I would look for the above progression, the S-curve wave... small areas of plateaus, then continued growth.
I could even buy the below progression.... bursts of progress with only a slight dip below peak performance, continued effort, and then another burst of progress.
I also envision that if one were to step back from this graph, that is zoom out, they would see what appeared to be a linear progression as in the first graph. These things make sense to me in my little fantasy world.
Now the disconnect comes when I evaluate actual performance. The above graphs are what I envision, what I expect to see. Below is a graph that displays what I will call "alternative reality", that is a "reality" that is another alternative to my reality. This may be what everyone else sees as "reality", but is dramatically different than what I expect to see in Fantasy Land.
There is no rhyme or reason to this set of data points. There is no clear progression, plateau, growth period, rest period. I see only random, scattered successes and failures that follow no discernible pattern that would lead one to no method to evaluate progress well enough to train for repeatable successes. The only positive that I can see in this graph is a positive progression from start to finish, but this may only be attributable to the time-frame that was chosen. Imagine the next data point on the graph may well "end" below the level of the starting point and remain there.
Even though my fantasy world exists only in my mind, there is significantly more logic in my world. So much more that this graph could not exist in my rose-colored fantasy world. Thus the disconnect.
If I were to evaluate my races thus far, with the exception of one data point, there has been a nice linear progression. It is a small progression, but a linear progression none the less.
1:49
1:47
1:43
(I have omitted the aberrant race to show the linear progression I am talking about)... and now that I think of it, I could just as easily merge my version of reality with the "alternative reality" (the reality that shows the documented times) simply by ignoring the races that don't comply... hmmm. Something to think about. As it stands, there is no logical place in my graph for a 2:11 finish time.
All of this may seem unimportant to most of you, but as I evaluate the races and my day to day training performances, I feel as if I need something objective to evaluate. Subjectively, today and yesterday I did not perform well in my training runs, but I recognize that every training session does not have to be longer and faster in order for me to have growth. I figure each time I am out training, I am strengthening my muscles and conditioning my heart and lungs and mind, so each training session could be beneficial as long as I am not over working and breaking down instead of building. And the truth is, I am not so sure I can tell the difference. So, the only way that I can foresee evaluating my progress is by evaluating the objective data of the race times... especially when they are linearly progressing. -- I know, I know, it is a fantasy. I am delusional, and I like it here. Thank you.
Its is absolutely no consolation that this fantasy thought process is in no way limited to running for me, or even in sports. Most every aspect of my life, in my mind, follows a similar linear progression. As I consider this more deeply, I can say that is actually a true statement and I often ensure the validity of this statement by quitting those activities that are not progressing appropriately, effectively deleting the "aberrant" data point. Welcome to my world... isn't it fun here?
The next race is NOLA Feb 5. I have not yet set a goal for this race. As you could imagine, having read this far down the page, my goal will likely be faster than 1:43, but I have not had an opportunity to train while I am healthy in order to evaluate a practical and attainable goal. -- 'cause practical and attainable is clearly what I all about. LOL!
Progress. This graph clearly demonstrates my vision of progress. This is how it SHOULD be. This is what I would expect to see given a level of effort and time. As the level of effort increases, and the time that effort is emplaced, the output, the progression, the level of success increases AT LEAST linearly.
Of course, I also recognize there are times when you're not able to participate at 100%, so I can see that there may well be plateaus in the progression. It makes sense to me that after you see a marked gain, you would potentially and likely see a plateau. This plateau may be an area where rest is needed or time to rebuild. I see no reason for a decline.
Ideally, I would look for the above progression, the S-curve wave... small areas of plateaus, then continued growth.
I could even buy the below progression.... bursts of progress with only a slight dip below peak performance, continued effort, and then another burst of progress.
I also envision that if one were to step back from this graph, that is zoom out, they would see what appeared to be a linear progression as in the first graph. These things make sense to me in my little fantasy world.
Now the disconnect comes when I evaluate actual performance. The above graphs are what I envision, what I expect to see. Below is a graph that displays what I will call "alternative reality", that is a "reality" that is another alternative to my reality. This may be what everyone else sees as "reality", but is dramatically different than what I expect to see in Fantasy Land.
There is no rhyme or reason to this set of data points. There is no clear progression, plateau, growth period, rest period. I see only random, scattered successes and failures that follow no discernible pattern that would lead one to no method to evaluate progress well enough to train for repeatable successes. The only positive that I can see in this graph is a positive progression from start to finish, but this may only be attributable to the time-frame that was chosen. Imagine the next data point on the graph may well "end" below the level of the starting point and remain there.
Even though my fantasy world exists only in my mind, there is significantly more logic in my world. So much more that this graph could not exist in my rose-colored fantasy world. Thus the disconnect.
If I were to evaluate my races thus far, with the exception of one data point, there has been a nice linear progression. It is a small progression, but a linear progression none the less.
1:49
1:47
1:43
(I have omitted the aberrant race to show the linear progression I am talking about)... and now that I think of it, I could just as easily merge my version of reality with the "alternative reality" (the reality that shows the documented times) simply by ignoring the races that don't comply... hmmm. Something to think about. As it stands, there is no logical place in my graph for a 2:11 finish time.
All of this may seem unimportant to most of you, but as I evaluate the races and my day to day training performances, I feel as if I need something objective to evaluate. Subjectively, today and yesterday I did not perform well in my training runs, but I recognize that every training session does not have to be longer and faster in order for me to have growth. I figure each time I am out training, I am strengthening my muscles and conditioning my heart and lungs and mind, so each training session could be beneficial as long as I am not over working and breaking down instead of building. And the truth is, I am not so sure I can tell the difference. So, the only way that I can foresee evaluating my progress is by evaluating the objective data of the race times... especially when they are linearly progressing. -- I know, I know, it is a fantasy. I am delusional, and I like it here. Thank you.
Its is absolutely no consolation that this fantasy thought process is in no way limited to running for me, or even in sports. Most every aspect of my life, in my mind, follows a similar linear progression. As I consider this more deeply, I can say that is actually a true statement and I often ensure the validity of this statement by quitting those activities that are not progressing appropriately, effectively deleting the "aberrant" data point. Welcome to my world... isn't it fun here?
The next race is NOLA Feb 5. I have not yet set a goal for this race. As you could imagine, having read this far down the page, my goal will likely be faster than 1:43, but I have not had an opportunity to train while I am healthy in order to evaluate a practical and attainable goal. -- 'cause practical and attainable is clearly what I all about. LOL!
Friday, January 20, 2017
Sick
There is only one thing that I can think of that I love more than my family, and that would be God. He is good, all the time.
My family is good too and I desire to be around them as much as possible... except when one or more of us are sick. We are a relatively healthy family, but honestly, with young boys, there is no real confusion as to why one or more of us gets sick from time to time.
Boys, after all are just plain gross. I don't want to embarrass any of my children too much, so I won't tell you which one, but the other day I was taking Noble -- oops -- oh well -- to football practice. He was wiping something off of his shorts. He was working at it fairly diligently. I asked him what he was doing. His response was fairly matter-of-fact, "wiping peanut butter off of my pants." I had been with him most of the day, and I do not remember him eating peanut butter, so I asked, "when did you have peanut butter?" He smiled and looked up thoughtfully and responded, "I cannot think of the last time I had peanut butter." The disconcerting part for me was not so much that he had peanut butter on his pants, or that those pants were "clean", or even that this phantom peanut butter had been there for an indeterminate amount of time, but that it seemed normal, common-place, unexceptional, as if this sort of thing happens to everyone. Just today at dinner, the other one was removing the inside of his roll and squeezing it onto a ball. They love the inside of the roll. He was making a ball and compacting it dense with his hands, nearly incorporating his bandage into the newly formed ball as it came off of his finger. I removed the bandage and tossed it into the garbage asking. "when was the last time you washed your hands?" The response, "I don't remember."
So, is it any wonder that one of us gets sick from time to time?
About two weeks ago, one of them caught the "crud". I think it was actually the daughter. There was hacking and snot and I'll spare you the rest of the details. Then, like lemmings jumping off a cliff, one after the other, came the rest of the family. I avoided them... all of them. I gave air hugs and blew kisses across the room for two weeks. Then I left for Tempe. All was well until the plane ride home when I started experiencing just a little sniffle. No big deal. I just run a half marathon. This sort of thing is expected, right? Well, I got worse. Monday I was not feeling too well. Tuesday I crawled home from work only to go to bed and remain there until time for work Wednesday morning, 14 hours later. Wednesday was similar, and Thursday consisted of hacking up "planets". I have isolated myself from my family the entire week, and don't forget I avoided them for two weeks prior to my infestation.
I love my family, but I was really hoping to avoid the whole sickness thing. And, BTW, I am not one of those high maintenance men who are super needy when they are sick. I would much rather be left alone. I am very thankful to my wife for trying to take care of me and to my kids who have been super understanding.
Needless to say, I have not been training since the race Sunday. I had a hard enough time walking from the bed to the bathroom and back, much less running multiple miles. Today I felt poorly... still... but NEEDED to train. I have another race in two weeks. It was not pretty, not my best performance, but I did manage 5.6 miles. I did not die after, but I was dizzy and maintained a nice headache and runny nose. I am hopeful that tomorrow will allow me to feel even better and allow me some decent training time.
BTW... For the record, although the above stories are both true, I cannot blame the boys entirely. I am betting there were other factors that contributed. Maybe someone one one of the plane flights?
My family is good too and I desire to be around them as much as possible... except when one or more of us are sick. We are a relatively healthy family, but honestly, with young boys, there is no real confusion as to why one or more of us gets sick from time to time.
Boys, after all are just plain gross. I don't want to embarrass any of my children too much, so I won't tell you which one, but the other day I was taking Noble -- oops -- oh well -- to football practice. He was wiping something off of his shorts. He was working at it fairly diligently. I asked him what he was doing. His response was fairly matter-of-fact, "wiping peanut butter off of my pants." I had been with him most of the day, and I do not remember him eating peanut butter, so I asked, "when did you have peanut butter?" He smiled and looked up thoughtfully and responded, "I cannot think of the last time I had peanut butter." The disconcerting part for me was not so much that he had peanut butter on his pants, or that those pants were "clean", or even that this phantom peanut butter had been there for an indeterminate amount of time, but that it seemed normal, common-place, unexceptional, as if this sort of thing happens to everyone. Just today at dinner, the other one was removing the inside of his roll and squeezing it onto a ball. They love the inside of the roll. He was making a ball and compacting it dense with his hands, nearly incorporating his bandage into the newly formed ball as it came off of his finger. I removed the bandage and tossed it into the garbage asking. "when was the last time you washed your hands?" The response, "I don't remember."
So, is it any wonder that one of us gets sick from time to time?
About two weeks ago, one of them caught the "crud". I think it was actually the daughter. There was hacking and snot and I'll spare you the rest of the details. Then, like lemmings jumping off a cliff, one after the other, came the rest of the family. I avoided them... all of them. I gave air hugs and blew kisses across the room for two weeks. Then I left for Tempe. All was well until the plane ride home when I started experiencing just a little sniffle. No big deal. I just run a half marathon. This sort of thing is expected, right? Well, I got worse. Monday I was not feeling too well. Tuesday I crawled home from work only to go to bed and remain there until time for work Wednesday morning, 14 hours later. Wednesday was similar, and Thursday consisted of hacking up "planets". I have isolated myself from my family the entire week, and don't forget I avoided them for two weeks prior to my infestation.
I love my family, but I was really hoping to avoid the whole sickness thing. And, BTW, I am not one of those high maintenance men who are super needy when they are sick. I would much rather be left alone. I am very thankful to my wife for trying to take care of me and to my kids who have been super understanding.
Needless to say, I have not been training since the race Sunday. I had a hard enough time walking from the bed to the bathroom and back, much less running multiple miles. Today I felt poorly... still... but NEEDED to train. I have another race in two weeks. It was not pretty, not my best performance, but I did manage 5.6 miles. I did not die after, but I was dizzy and maintained a nice headache and runny nose. I am hopeful that tomorrow will allow me to feel even better and allow me some decent training time.
BTW... For the record, although the above stories are both true, I cannot blame the boys entirely. I am betting there were other factors that contributed. Maybe someone one one of the plane flights?
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